"Do you have any ideas for your shoot?"


I ask my clients this during our consultation calls so that I can either build on their existing idea or provide them with ideas if they feel stuck. Astrid was not stuck! Immediately she said: "I was thinking of those scenes in movies where they flash back and show the couple back in the day when they first met and it's just really dreamy and whimsical. There's this wildflower field I was thinking of!"


As soon as she proposed that idea I was on board! I had also had this picnic basket that I got from a buy-nothing group sitting in our garage that was collecting dust and I suggested we use it to create a cute picnic among the wildflowers. I had been wanting to use it somehow but an opportunity hadn't yet presented itself.

Lucky for me, she said "yes"! Again.


I always consider myself lucky whenever I work with clients who are down for the merging of ideas. I'm fortunate to have lots and lots of creative people in my life who are willing to go with the flow!


As for the setting, Astrid had seen a park in South Austin that had lots of wildflowers and we decided this would be the perfect location!


The week before our shoot I went out and scouted the spot and the flowers were still in full bloom so it was a go!

Originally we had planned for a golden hour shoot so we could get those really pretty rays shining through the wildflowers. I was a little disappointed to find that the day had turned from sunny to overcast as our shoot got closer, but it's not the first time this has happened to me on the day of a shoot. Texas weather can be extremely unpredictable and the weather apps can only help so much. "Oh well", I thought. We would make this work.


I set off on the day of the shoot and found the perfect spot. A flat patch of grass with a wildflower backdrop. I couldn't have asked for a better location. And that overcast weather? Well, it helped tremendously! We weren't nearly as hot or as sweaty as I thought we'd be. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous about the blazing sun. I even went out and bought a bunch of portable fans for all of us to use so nobody would get too sweaty. They still came in handy, but they weren't as necessary as I thought they'd be!


Astrid and her fiance, Kyle, arrived right on time with flowers in tow! I didn't let them know ahead of time, but I had decided to bring along a real picnic for them to enjoy (along with some champagne to celebrate).

I wanted this to feel like a real date that just happened to be documented. I always help with posing while simultaneously allowing room for more organic behavior so that I can capture the real moments between couples. Astrid had told me her and Kyle were best friends and that they loved laughing together, so I knew that was something I wanted to capture. It was so easy to do because these two were so obviously infatuated with one another. Within seconds of sitting down they were already joking with one another and Kyle was making Astrid laugh so much. It really warmed my heart to see them together in this way and to capture that love and friendship for them on camera.


They don't just share friendship though, there is very clearly a solid foundation built on love and trust. The way they looked at each other made me melt and at one point I will admit I shed a tear because it was just so sweet to see a couple that in love. They helped the other one feel more comfortable throughout the shoot and they had so much fun together, which came through in their portraits.

I could go on and on about these two, but instead I'll just share some photos from their session and let them speak for themselves.


Astrid and Kyle, I am so happy for y'all and I cannot wait to shoot your wedding next year!